Angel: Momento Mori
by Nathan You
Summary: The following is a Wesley centric story set in season 5 of Angel, between the episodes Origin (Wesley has his memories of Connor restored) and Time Bomb (Illyria is still at full power) and features the return of faith to LA. (Please note I have not read enough of the Buffy comics to know if this will fit in the continuity they establish) please enjoy
1. Reopening Old Wounds

Wesley Wyndham Pryce rose from is desk, taking one of his ancient acharian tomes to return it to its shelf. As he walked to the shelf he paused catching a look at his reflection in the darkened glass of the window. He hadn't realised how late it had gotten whilst he had been engrossed in his work. The now night time skyline let him see his reflection more clearly, allowing for him for the first time to see a detail he hadn't noticed before.

His neck was bare, the scar of his near death encounter between his neck and the knife of Holtz's lacky Justien was missing. It's absence was most likely explained by the alteration to the universe performed by Wolfram and Hart at the behest of Wesley's boss and comrade in the fight against evil, Angel. All feelings of betrayal aside Wesley found the lack of physical proof for his now restored memories more than a little disturbing. Without that grounding and with a set of contradictory memories to further his confusion, he felt he was losing his grip on what was real, on reality.

Not that he was lacking for reminders of own mortality, he had gathered more than a few battle scars in his fight against the forces of darkness. Many cuts and slashes had left their mark upon his body and he still bore the mark of a gun wound to his side, not to mention the cobalt blue corpse of his former love that served as a constant reminder of his loss. Of his failure.

He replaced the book on the shelf when he heard a knock on the door. He answered it to be greeted by a dark haired muscular woman dressed, of course, in black.

"Faith"

"Hey Wes"

Wesley eyed her suspiciously surprised to be seeing her again so soon after their last meeting.

"I didn't think Buffy wanted her people interacting with us"

"Like I answer to B"

She retorted sarcastically but Wes could tell there was more than what she was letting on. She seemed uncharacteristically distracted, nervous even, far from her usual self assured self. She sat down behind Wesley's desk crossing her legs and putting her feet up on it. Wesley brushed past her feigned nonshalontness, eager to get to the point.

"What brings you back to LA?"

Faith's face fell very slightly, dropping her gaze to the ground, Wesley clearly having hit on the source of her anxiety.

"You heard of Darkfrost contingency?"

Now it was Wesley's turn to have his face fall

"you're sure"

"I'm sure"

The Darkfrost contingency was developed by the watchers council in the latter days of the nineteenth century. Following a string of highly successful attacks by the vampire warlock Claudius the vengeful it was decided that measures needed to be put in place in the event of the total destruction of the Council. As such a powerful cures was created that would raise the fallen brethren from the grave to continue the good fight.

Wesley contacted Angel to explain the situation to him, if the Contingency really was active then everyone would be in severe danger. They chose to rendevu in Angels office, Wes bringing him up to speed on the ever growing army of the undead.

"So after the First blew everyone up…"

Angel said still trying to process the news as he paced around his office. Wesley interrupted him

"The bodies of the Watchers are reanimating themselves and regrouping into an army"

Angel's concern was clearly deepening, he was having difficulty with the strain of running Wolfram and Hart as it was but with this on top of everything else it was getting to be too much

"But their still Watchers, right? Good guys?" he asked trying to reassure himself.

"yes but with the first defeated, Faith believes Darkfrost revenants will default to targeting the most powerful source of evil they can find" Angel looked slightly anxious as if he was anticipating the answer

"Wolfram and Hart" he said Angel amusing the answer but Wesley's response was simple.

"No, Illyria"

"Two powerhouses like that going head to head doesn't exactly bode well for LA"

"My thoughts exactly" replied Wesley nodding in agreement

"Take her and Faith find somewhere remote far from any people"

"I'll get right on it" Wesley said getting up to leave

"Oh and Wes…"

He turned back to look at Angel

"Just look after yourself, I can't afford to lose anyone else on my team"

Wesley pondered form a moment if the statement was some attempt to reaffirm their friendship after it had been shaken by the events with Connor. But he decided he didn't have time to dwell on such things, simply nodding and exiting the room.

Illyria herself seemed somewhat less concerned by the news

"So these corpses wish to attempt to slay me, I'd like to see them try"

The ancient blue demon god said arrogantly whilst reaching for a wickedly dangerous looking axe from one of the weapons racks in the training room.

"This isn't just any ordinary zombie horde Illirya. They're armed with thousands of years worth of knowledge in warfare and magics. Enough to have raised themselves back from the dead"

"I have done the same myself, not so difficult a task"

Wesley felt pained as memories of the event resurfaced in his mind, it having served not only as Illyria's way back into the world but also Fred's way out of it. This made somehow worse by her not seeming to have noticed that the remark hurt him. At this point Faith entered the training room mercifully interrupting the conversation

"Come on Blue's Clues, let's get going. They've laid on the first class treatment, private jet and everything."

"I require neither your protection nor your mockery mortal."

Illyria snapped back bitterly.

"Look little Miss hellfire, we're only doing this for your sake. So if you wanna get munched on by zombies have fun, but do it on your own time."

The two stared at each other for a moment sizing each other up. Eventually Illyria backed down still holding her head high proudly in order to not seem defeated.

"Very well"

Later on the jet Illyria stood in the cabin whilst Wesley and faith sat next to each other as it soared through the clouds.

"I don't see why you're going to all this effort Wes. Way I see it, you could just drop her off in the Arctic somewhere and let the two of 'em duke it out. Whoever wins you got one less big bad to deal with"

Wesley looked pained

"I can't Faith. When I look at her, looking like Fred, all I feel is shame. All I can think about is how I failed her, how I failed Connor, how I failed…"

Faith stopped him

"Me. Yeah look Wes, I'm not gonna pretend you were some perfect Watcher you screwed up, kinda royaley in fact. But I ain't gonna pretend I was some perfect Slayer either. Point is, if you spend your whole life trying to make up for stuff in the past you're never gonna move forward. I forgave you a while back, question is when are you gonna forgive…"

Suddenly the whole plane shock violently throwing them from their seats and Illyria around the cabin.

"You alright"

Wesley asked as he regained his footing as the plane levelled off

"Five by five. But what hit us?"

She asked also rising to her feet

"We're under attack"

Illyria answered pointing out the cabin window to a giant blue green fire ball tearing through the sky towards them.


	2. Darkfrost in Jungle Heat

The smouldering carcass of an airplane law strewn across the south american jungle landscape smoke still billowing from it despite the rain. Suddenly a panel flew off one the more intact sections of the fuselage allowing Wesley, Faith and Illyria to climb free.

"So that was… ow. How'd we actually survive?"

Faith asked rubbing her bruises.

"I created a localised temporal shift which softened the impact of the crash"

Illyria replied seemingly having gotten off more lightly than the others due to her demonic durability

"Well thanks then blue. I guess. How's the pilot?"

Wesley was already checking the remnants of the cockpit and shaking his head

"Not as lucky as us"

"Poor guy. Guess that rules out us reaching that sea base safe house"

Faith looked around

"Where are we anyway"

"Somewhere in Central or South America at a guess. Given our general heading and surroundings"

Wesley speculated observing the jungle flora that surrounded them.

"So what do we do now? Stay by crash site and wait for rescue?"

"That would be unwise. If our pursuers are still tracking us then this will be the first place they'd come searching."

Said Illyria disregarding Faith's suggestion.

"Illyria's right, we should keep on the move. Let's get going"

Said Wesley in agreement.

They searched the wreck for anything useful. The items they had carried on their person remained largely intact, also protected by Illyria's time manipulation, Wessley still had his shoulder bag with some of his magic texts (leaving the source books behind in LA to keep them safe) and Faith's signature knife she had strapped to her belt seemed to be their only weapon. Finding very little else survived the crash the party moved into the forest. They maintained a steady pace for the next few hours, they made good progress even with the rain wetting much of their path to mud. The atmosphere was humid and the heat alone would have been enough to make them sweat, suffice to say the trip far from pleasant. Less affected by such things due her demonic nature Illyria maintained distinct lead on the other two as they struggled to keep pace.

Eventually they came to the mouth of a cave and decided to rest in the shelter it provided from the near constant rain, despite Illyria's prodestations.

"Not all of us have your inhuman endurance"

Wesley reminded her and Faith agreed not even a slayer could match her energy. Illyria simply responded with a huff of irritation but relented and remained with the group not pushing the issue any further. They rested in the mouth of the cave, it didn't offer much in the way of hiding them from their pressures but at least it still offered them some degree of light and a chance to spot their attackers as they approached. Wesley went over to one corner to study his books, hoping to find a way to contact LA via magic. Illyria positioned herself in another corner leaving Faith in between the two. Eventually she decided to approach Illyria.

"I do not wish to bandy words with you mortal. Leave me alone."

Said Illyria noticing Faith moving towards her

"And hello to you too"

Faith quipped sitting down next to her.

"Look I'm not trying to desecrate your regal and all mighty demonic majesty or whatever. I just want to talk."

Illyria snorted

"Once I would have considered the very idea of conversing with the likes of you an insult. Now it seems that is all I do"

"Charming"

Faith muttered under her breath, then thought about Illyria's last statement

"A lot of this conversing wouldn't happen to be with Wesely would it?"

Illyria looked away from Faith, despite the action intending to be dismissive it was clear to Faith that she had struck a chord.

"Not that it any concern of yours but yes. As I have lost my world Wesely instructs me on how to live in this one"

Faith took in the information, Wesely had been pretty tight lipped about his relationship with Illyria and now she understood. This thing, whatever it was, was using his memories of Fred to make him do what it wanted. And Wes was going along with it, as if helping it would somehow help Fred as well because it looked like her. Faith found the whole thing pretty sick and the worst part was that Illyria didn't even seem to know she was doing it.

"You know you're manipulating him don't you?"

Illyria's only answer was a quizzical look

"He's only helping you because you look like Fred"

Faith elaborated

"I don't understand the problem. He still chooses to help me of his own volition"

Faith looked disgusted

"You can't just go around making people do things for you because you're wearing the face of someone they love!"

"Why not?"

Faith's reply was simple

"Because it's wrong."

Wesely approached the pair, probably drawn by all the commotion

"I haven't been able to reach LA, we're on our own."

"We should move now the darkness will cover us better"

Wesely nodded in agreement with Illyria, much of the light had gone and much of the heat with it, presumably night had fallen which would make them harder to be tracked but faith looked confused.

"Have we slipped a timezone or something? It doesn't feel like we've been out here long enough for it to be night yet."

She said just as a breeze of icy wind blew into the cave.

"She is right. Some is wrong here"

Said Illyria in agreement and Wesley nodded understanding what was going on.

"It's the Darkfrost. They drain energy from the environment to sustain their reanimation."

Wesley explained

"Hench the name"

Said faith shivering slightly from the rapid temperature change.

"We should move"

Said Wesley just before he was jumped by the sinister figure of a Darkfrost revenant wrestling him to the ground and trying to strangle him. It's features were deformed, blackened and striped to an almost skeletal form as if it had been burnt with a blue green light streaming from it's eyes and mouth. Despite it's horrific form it was still dressed in the tweed suit it would have worn as a watcher making it look rather absurd. Thinking quickly faith grabbed her knife and plugged it into the back of the undead creature and collapsed dead as the lights from it's face faded and went out.

"Thanks"

Said Wesley as he lifted the redead corpse off himself.

"No problem"

Another three sets of lights appeared in the darkness indicating the approach of another three revenants. Wesley ran back towards his bag and the spell books it contained, grabbing one and flicking through its pages. Faith lunged for one of the revenants with her knife but this one was armed with its own blade and deflected her attack. Wesley read some spell words from the book and summoned a ball of red energy that he launched at the revenant. Just before impact the ball seemed to diminish and it streamed into the revenants mouth, absorbed like so much other energy. With both attacks against them rendered ineffectual the revenants reached Illyria unhindered. Whilst she was able to take out one of them, another managed to grab hold of her and begin the energy draining process. Her bright blue coloration grew pale and she looked exhausted, the creature released its grip and she collapsed to the ground, unmoving.


	3. New World for an Old God

Once Illyria had been a god. Her power beyond absolute even the fundamental forces of the universe bent to her will. But now that life was gone, stripped from her when she was slain by her enemies. She had been resurrected but reborn into the world in a leser body, a human body. Now only time remembered her, only it still recognised her authority and obeyed her commands. Now she was so weak a group of mortals were able to overpower and capture her. Mortals that believed they had the right to insult like this, just because she wore the form of one of them. The husks of these Watchers had the audacity to sap her essence, reducing her to even less than her already depleted state. Once Illyria had been a god, now she was almost nothing.

The attack had caused her to lose consciousness. When she awoke she was surrounded by interlocking metal bars, she was entrapped in a cage. She grabbed at the bars trying to pull them apart, escaping should have been easy given her enhanced strength but she was evidently still weakened as the bars wouldn't give. Though the area outside the cage was darkened she saw a flash of movement cross across her vision beyond the bars.

"Who are you? Why have you dared imprison me?"

The figure approached from out of the darkness, growing close enough for the pale light emanating from its eyes and mouth to illuminate the rest of its face. Although the figure shared many of the same features as the other revenants the desecration of its face was less severe, leaving it more recognizably human. Perhaps it had died more recently than the others before it's resurrection or maybe it had drain more energy to restore its form. It spoke.

"You are Illyria, last of the old ones, god king of the Primordian age. We learnt of your resurrection and return to this world and now, by the order of the Watchers Council we are going to undo it."

"You mere flies think you can execute me."

"The time of your people is done, Illyria. We are the authority now, we are justified in our actions and moreover we have the resources to carry them out."

As the revenant finished another two joined him, dragging a large ornate chest along with them. They opened it and the same blue green light as the Darkfrost shone out from within. The speaker pulled out the contents, revealing a large crystal embedded in a clockwork mechanism as the source of the light.

"This is the Pruinae Loch, This device allows us to redirect the flow of any mystical energy. It's how we maintain our resurrection. But for you we have a very different purpose in mind. You don't belong in that body Illyria. As such we can use the Loch to siphon you off into another vessel which we can destroy, permanently.

He said and as if to illustrate the point he pulled a magic looking urn from the same chest.

The undead watchers withdrew back for her cage and began working on the device readjusting the gears and chanting spell words from their books. This gave her time to devise a way to escape, although how long she didn't know how long. She examined her cell again looking for a weakness to exploit. Some areas had rusted but not enough to create any structural faults, clearly the cage had been there some time besides the rust, vines and creepers had grown all over it. Maybe that was it, she had the ability to commune with vegetation, perhaps they could aid her. But would they recognize her, recognize her authority? Nonetheless she had to try, she had no other option. She reached out and touched one of the vines and closed her eyes. Slowly thoughts from its simple mind poured out into her. Her mind reached out touching every part of it from the roots to the tips, asking all of it for help. The roots ran deep but so did its memory, even in her time there were organisms as basic as plants. Perhaps some tiny ancient part of it remembered her as one of the vines tips slowly but surely threaded itself into the lock. Maybe time wasn't her only faithful and enduring companion after all.

Eventually the revenants finished with their work as well, the light from the crystal had changed to a deeper and darker shade of blue, now primed to work on her. The lead and most human looking revenant walked back up to her cage. He approached the door, pulling a key from his pocket to unlock it. Before he could register the vine which had wormed its way into the keyhole, Illyria kicked at the door causing its metal bars to slam into the dead Watcher's face, catching him by surprise. She took the opportunity to make a break for it sprinting past the rest of her undead guards. Before she could make it to the safety of the trees one of the revenants lunged at her pushing her to the ground. She tried to break free of his grip but was kept down by his enhanced strength. Suddenly a flash of silver shot through the air and a familiar knife was lodged in her assailant's neck. As its eyes grow dim and its muscles limp she was able to push him off herself. She looked over at the source of the projectile seeing Faith with Wesley close behind her. More revenants soon arrived trying to cut off their escape and all three of them entered the fray to fight off the new arrivals. Faith quickly retrieved her knife from the corpse and used it to reduce several others to a similar state. Illyria fought hand to hand dispatching a couple herself. Wesley concentrated on using his magics to protect against the arcane projectiles the revenants hurled at them until spotting the glow of the Loch.

"Cover me!"

He yelled diving past several enemies to reach the loch. Illyria and Faith followed his instructions attacking the ones closest to him keeping them occupied. He picked up the device and twisted the largest of the dials causing the crystal to glow brighter. He pointed the device at the most human like of the revenants. The reanimated watcher reacted instantly, his body convulsing as a stream of energy flowed like water from its mouth and eyes arching across the air towards the crystal. Soon all of it had left his body and it hovered swirling around the loch, the revenant lay drain his body returned to the more corpse-like and less human appearance of the others. Wesley then pointed the device towards Illyria and the deep blue energy surrounding it shot out and flowed into Illyria. She felt her essence return to her each drop of it bring her closer and closer to the divine state of her true self, Illyria the proud god king of the demon age. As the final vestiges of her power poured back into her she found herself restored to the most of herself this crude human form could. Her powers restored to their former level, she channeled them into the act of slowing and eventually freezing time around her. The actions of those around her stilled and balls of energy hung in mid air as she raised her arms forbidding the endless march of time from creeping any further. Knowing the effect wouldn't hold for long she grabbed Faith and Wesely dragging them free of the melee and into the safety of the rainforest, making good her escape.


End file.
